


A Just and Honorable Hand

by friendlyneighborhoodirondad



Series: Medieval AU [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, King Tony Stark, Medieval AU, Mentions of Rape, Nothing explicit, Peter's like 12 in this, Royal Advisor Obie, Servants, Slaves, This is not a starker fic because that's gross, Young Peter Parker, because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-13 04:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15356112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendlyneighborhoodirondad/pseuds/friendlyneighborhoodirondad
Summary: King Anthony the Invincible receives an odd birthday gift from his Royal Advisor. A useful gift but definitely unexpected. A tiny one that comes with innocent brown eyes.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This work deals with themes of slavery and touches on rape/noncon (nothing explicit). Please be safe.

Peter straightens from this hunch over the work table to wipe the sweat from his brow. He winces as the ever present heavy metal cuffs chafe painfully against his wrists. He chances a glance around the forge. Peter loves to watch his masters work but watching isn't productive. He's been punished for being unproductive before, but it's worth it. The boy watches as Mr. Collins dunks a newly forged sword into a bucket of water. It hisses as it rapidly cools, the excess heat causing the water to steam. It's called vaporization. Peter read about it in one of his dad's books.

Mr. Martinson smacks him on the back of the head hard enough to leave a throbbing ache for minutes afterwards. "How many times to I need to beat it into your head? Get back to work, rat. You hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Peter mumbles, picking up his tools.

A couple minutes later, Slave Master calls out Peter's handler from the doorway. "Martinson! Bring the boy. We've got a taker."

"Thank god," Mr. Martinson groans, yanking on the chain connected to Peter's metal collar. "This one's been a pain in my ass for months now."

Peter keeps his head ducked as Slave Master links his wrist cuffs together. Eye contact will only get him into trouble. Keeping his head dipped irritates his neck by causing his collar to rub uncomfortably. He hates the whole "being forced to work" stuff, but he hates his collar the most. It makes him feel subhuman. Like an animal.

Slave Master and Mr. Martinson lead Peter to the auction room. It's empty sans a tall, broad, bearded man with a menacing smile. He must have money to get a private showing.

"This is our best blacksmith assistant. He's got small, nimble hands and is extremely competent with the metal working process. In another life, he may have become an incredible blacksmith. If I may say, your Excellency, he would be the perfect assistant for his Majesty's forge."

Peter's heart slams to a stop for a full second. His Majesty's forge?! The biggest and most technologically advanced forge in the land. Sure, Peter could possibly forced to work until his hands bleed, but it would be an honor to bleed over a coal forge under the castle.

His Excellency reaches out and grasps Peter's chin. His face is tilted up to face the light. Peter keeps his eyes averted to his Excellency's chest, but he can tell the man is methodically looking him up and down. He subconsciously presses his shoulders back and straightens his back. Once upon a time, Aunt May had told him good posture goes a long way.

After peering into Peter's mouth, his Excellency nods in approval. "He'll do just fine, Mr. Carter. How much?"

"100 gold pieces."

"Hah! You must be out of your mind. I'll give you 25. He's not a unicorn."

"Of course, your Excellency. But he's our finest metal worker. Would... 50 gold pieces be acceptable?"

"Alright, I'll take him," his Excellency says, holding out his hand to shake. "A servant will run the money over tomorrow."

Peter watches as Mr. Martinson hands his chain to his Excellency. He can feel the man's unsettling gaze raking over him. Peter resists the urge to shudder as he's tugged forward. And he tries not to let the spark of hope consume him.

His Excellency didn't even ask for his name.

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Peter's eyes peel open with the appearance of the sun. He shifts uncomfortably in his hard and lumpy bed for a minute or two. It's definitely a step up from the floor, but it's still not quite plush enough to be considered cozy.

He gets up with some difficulty due to his chained wrists and successfully avoids smashing his nose into the wall. His room is tiny with just enough space to fit his bed. A small space means less places to put stuff. The room is sparce, the only "decorations" being a window and a heavy looking chain attached to the wall. The servant who showed him his room had simply laughed in his face when he asked what the chain was for.

Peter waits by the door for a while before he hears footsteps stop in front of his door. He listens to the lock click, then the door swings open. The man on the other side doesn't spare Peter a glance. He simply motions for Peter's arms and unchains his wrists. And with that, he disappears.

Confused, Peter stands in the doorway, watching the servants briskly walking past. None of them have collars. Peter stays still with indecision for about half an hour before realizing that no one was going to lead him to the forge. He'd have to find his own way.

Unable to ask a servant for directions, as slaves are a much lower class, Peter wanders the underbelly of the castle. As time passes, Peter's panic rises. He'll surely be punished if he's late. They won't care that he got lost. He got a brutal beating for sleeping in at his previous job. Who knows what sort of punishment Stark Castle deals out for tardy slaves.

Peter almost cries in relief when he smells coal smoke. He follows the scent down a hallway that looks like all the others. Judging by the position of the sun, he's half an hour late. Hopefully, that's only worth a light flogging. It is his first day after all.

He comes to a stop in front of enormous metal doors. Peter takes a deep calming breath and pushes one of the doors open. Or, he tries to. Who knew metal could be so heavy. Peter falls forward, catching himself at the last minute, when someone on the inside pulls the door open for him.

Peter quickly straightens himself, leaving his head bowed. He stays silent, waiting for the reprimand he's sure he's getting.

"You must be my new assistant," says a rough voice. The man clears his throat, then continues, "Obie said you'd be joining me today. Man, you're a lot younger than I expected. What are you, 10? You must be some sort of prodigy."

Peter blushes and risks a peek through his eyelashes. If the person's talking to him, complimenting him no less, he must be another slave.

All the breath leaves Peter's body when he sees the most iconic facial hair in the land. King Anthony the Invincible. "Oh god... Your Majesty, I-I didn't- Please, don't- I didn't-"

"It's okay, it's okay. Deep breaths, kid. What's your name?"

He asked for his name? Name? Did he have a name? Of course he did! Just say it, you blundering idiot!

"Uh, it's, uh, P-Peter, your Majesty."

"Okay, 'uh P-Peter'. Let's get started," King Anthony chuckles, seemingly amused by Peter's stuttering.

Confusion floods Peter's young head. "Wait."

Peter's mind screams at him. Wait? WAIT?! What are doing?! You can't order the King around, much less tell him to wait! You could be killed for that!

"Wait, what?" King Anthony prompts when Peter freezes.

He works up all the courage in his little body to squeak out, "D-Don't you w-want to know why I'm late, y-your Majesty?"

King Anthony quirks an eyebrow and shrugs. "Not really."

"But... aren't you gonna p-punish m-me?"

"Why on earth would I do that? I'd be a pretty big hypocrite if I did. I'm late to everything."

The all consuming relief of knowing he wasn't going to be drawn and quartered for his transgressions almost brings him to his knees. "Thank you, your Majesty. Thank you, thank you, your Majesty. I'll do better tomorrow, your Majesty."

"Okay, kid, cool it with the 'your Majesty' business. Just call me 'sir'."

Peter nods vigorously. "Y-Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I-It won't happen again, sir."

King Anthony smirks again, eyes alight with amusement. And it remains there for most of the day. Peter can feel the man's gaze as he hammers a simple chest plate into shape. King Anthony only touches him once to guide Peter's hand into the design he wanted. And the touch was so... gentle. Light. Safe. Nothing like he was used to.

The phantom feeling of King Anthony's hands sticks with him the rest of the day. He thinks back on all the hands in his life. His family's were always soft and caring, a feeling he had almost forgotten about until today. He's grown used to the rough and heavy hands of the theives who killed Uncle Ben, the slavers he was sold to, his masters in the forge. Even Mr. Westcott's hands were controlling when they brushed and prodded his body.

From the first day, Peter knew King Anthony wasn't a threat. His hands were kind. The type you could trust.


	2. Friends

"You're really good with swords, kid," King Anthony says, watching as Peter finishes hammering the metal flat.

"Th-Thank you, sir."

Peter hands the heavy weapon to King Anthony. He holds the sword out in front of him, testing its balance. "Perfect, kiddo. Seriously, how old are you?"

"Uh, 12, sir."

"Damn." King Anthony places the sword on the table and reaches for his cloak. "Alright, well, I'm gonna head out to test this and the armor we made last week. I guess you've got the afternoon off."

"Oh, uh, thank you, sir. Should I, um, should I c-clean up the work space, sir?"

"Nah, we'll just be working in here tomorrow. Don't worry about it."

"Yes, sir."

A knock at the door pulls both their attention. "Your carriage is ready, sir," says an older man, dressed rather well for a servant.

"Thanks, Jarvis," King Anthony says, tossing the cloak around his shoulders. "Have you met my forge assistant yet?"

"I have not, sir."

"Well, this is Peter. Peter, this is my butler Jarvis. He's the best in the business. I've known him since I was a kid."

Jarvis' eyes flick to Peter's collar for a brief second. The shame rushing through his system freezes as Jarvis gives him a soft smile. The man holds out a hand and says, "Hello, Peter. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Uh, yeah, I am too, sir."

"It's just Jarvis, Peter."

"Okay, Jarvis."

Jarvis was the first member of the staff to even give him a smile, let alone to introduce himself. Peter almost wets himself with happiness when Jarvis takes a seat across from him in the dining hall about half an hour later. "Just thought you looked a little lonely," he says, taking a bite of his roll.

Peter smiles into his food. And just like that, Peter finally had a friend. Well, King Anthony was kind and fun to hang out with, but he was Peter's master. You can't be friends with your master.

But as the weeks pass, Peter finds himself getting closer to his Majesty. King Anthony tells Peter that he is extremely talented and highly intelligent. Peter is progressing faster than the King had expected, so he begins to teach the boy new techniques and allow him more freedom in the design process. And Peter loves it. He loves the attention, the challenges, and the camaraderie.

Jarvis also takes time out of his day to check in on him. He'll give Peter smiles when they pass each other in the hallway and sit with Peter during dinner when he's free. One day, Peter misses dinner due to working overtime in King Anthony's forge. When he returns to his room, he finds a small piece of cake sitting on his bed. Peter tries approaching Jarvis about it, but the butler refuses to accept any reciprocation from the boy.

In short, Peter's the happiest he's been in a long time.

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

"Um, Mr. Jarvis, sir?"

"Peter, I've told you, it's just Jarvis."

"Oh, right. Jarvis, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Ask away."

"You... know that I'm a... slave... right?"

Jarvis takes a deep breath and pushes his drink aside. The clinking of silverware around them doesn't drown out the silence that follows Peter's question. "I am aware of your status."

"Then... why are you so nice to me?"

"Because you're a kind-hearted young man despite what life has thrown at you. You deserve more than what you have."

Peter's eyes water, and he delicately sniffs. "You really think so?"

"I know so."

"Do you think King Anthony knows, too?"

"Knows you're special?"

"No, knows I'm a slave."

Jarvis sighs and strokes his chin. "I don't believe so. Anthony has lived a sheltered life, and the late Queen Maria phased out the use of slaves within the castle. Now that she's gone, his Excellency the Royal Adviser has recently made the decision to buy more to work the royal fields. I don't think Anthony's aware of this decision."

"So... he thinks I'm just a servant?"

"Most likely."

"Do you... think he'd treat me differently if he knew... what I am?"

"No. He enjoys your company and finds your excitable demeanor refreshing. He loves your attention to detail and thinks you're very intelligent."

"H-How do you know that?"

"He talks about you all the time."

Peter almost chokes on his food. King Anthony the Invincible talks about Peter? A nobody?

"I wasn't lying when I said you were special, Peter."

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Near the beginning of December, Peter and King Anthony are taking a break sitting around the fire, warming their fingers. "Man, I could really go for some tea right now," King Anthony says.

Peter nods and says, "Yes, sir." He doesn't know what else to say. Taking a break because he was cold was unprecedented. And talking about tea? With the King? Unheard of.

"You want some?"

"Sorry, sir?"

"You want some tea?"

"Oh, n-n-no thank you, sir."

"You sure? It warms your insides like soup, but it tastes much better. Probably because it's expensive. What's your favorite type, kid?"

"I've, uh, never had t-tea before, sir."

King Anthony looks over at Peter in shock. "Never had tea? Well, we're gonna have to fix that, don't we?"

Peter just stares in shock.

"I'll ring for Jarvis. We'll start with some oolong, rooibos, and green teas."

Peter's almost in a catatonic state by the time Jarvis arrives with the tray. He and King Anthony watch as Jarvis pours two cups of steaming liquid. King Anthony reaches for his cup and begins teaching Peter proper tea time etiquette. By the end of the day, Peter knows how to properly set a tea table, pour a cup, steep correctly, and hold the cup. He even learns how to carry on tea time small talk. The smile doesn't leave Peter's face for a week. King Anthony's time and attention are quickly becoming Peter's two favorite things.

So when King Anthony has a simple tea set delivered to Peter's room on Christmas Eve, he doesn't just cry for joy. He sobs.


	3. Punishment

On the day before New Year's Eve (King Anthony calls it New Year's Eve Eve), the castle is quiet. Much of the staff have the week off to be with their families. Jarvis says the practice started with Queen Maria. The more Peter hears about her, the more he wishes he could have met her.

King Anthony is busy this time of year. He and Lady Virginia are planning the castle's annual New Year's Eve party together, and there's a lot to do the week of. He keeps being pulled away from his work in the forge by people wanting his input or opinion. Peter didn't realize how much went into a party. But, then again, he's never been to a party, so...

"Just 34 hours 'til showtime, kiddo," King Anthony says, hauling his hammer to another table. "It's crunch time. I'll probably be called out sometime in the next hour to taste the food."

"Yes, sir."

"When I do, just finish up the pieces in that corner then hang out for a bit. Cool?"

"Yes, sir."

"I want to hear you say 'cool'." King Anthony's been trying to get Peter to loosen up. His attempts have been... mildly successful.

"Um... Cool, sir."

"Alright, close enough. We'll have to work on that."

"Yes, sir."

King Anthony just laughs and shakes his head. And not half an hour later, a servant drops by asking for him. "See you in a bit, kid. This shouldn't take long."

"Yes, sir. Um, see you, sir."

The man beams and says, "Atta boy."

Pride swells in Peter's chest at the praise. He doubles down on his work. Maybe he'll get more praise if King Anthony is impressed with his work. So Peter works hard for about an hour, sweat and soot covering his face. He only stops when the doors open with a bang. Peter is so startled, he drops his tongs.

"Tony, stop stealing my serv-" yells a familiar man. "Wait, where's Tony?"

"H-He left to t-taste the food for the party, your Excellency," Peter responds, head bowed and heart hammering. He hasn't seen his Excellency since the day he was bought, but he still gets a bad vibe from the man.

"Of course he is..." His Excellency huffs in annoyance. Peter flinches. He doesn't like the older man's tone. "What are you doing by yourself? You could break something."

"Uh, sir t-told me to-"

"You should refer to him as 'his Majesty'. Respect your superiors, boy."

Peter detects a big difference between King Anthony calling him 'kid' and the Royal Advisor calling him 'boy'. "Sorry, your Excellency."

"Are you?" huffs his Excellency, impatiently looking around the room. "Well, since there's no one in the castle, I guess you'll have to do. Come with me."

Peter stands where he is by the forge even as the logical side of his brain is screaming at him to do as he's told. "B-But his Majesty said to-"

"I own you, not Tony. You do what I say."

Peter's stomach clenches. That's the first time since he arrived at Stark Castle someone's ordered him to do something because of the collar around his throat. He drops his head even lower and shuffles over to his owner.

"That's a good boy. I'll have my shoes delivered to your room for you to shine. Although it's really more of a closet, isn't it?"

His Excellency gives him a nasty sneer as he drags Peter by his collar down the hall. Peter rolls his eyes behind his Excellency's back. He would have have walked himself, he doesn't need the humiliation of the rough hands manhandling him.

Peter thanks the servant that drops off the shoes and gets to work. His original owners taught him many types of skills so he would be more marketable. He's not an experienced shoe shiner by any means, but he moves as fast as he can without sacrificing quality. Something tells him that his Excellency won't be as forgiving as King Anthony if he doesn't work up to his standards.

The problem is: his Excellency owns a lot of shoes. Just as Peter finishes with the pairs he was given, another load is dropped off. But Peter doesn't complain. He gets back on his knees and resumes his work. The panic doesn't set in until another load is dropped off before he's finished with the previous. And a panicky Peter is an unproductive Peter. His hands are shaking so much, he can't hold the brush properly.

Peter's almost in tears by the time his door swings open. But instead of more shoes, he's met with a disappointed frown.

"Why aren't you finished?" his Excellency growls.

"Uh... I-I-I... Th-There were so many..." Peter can think of about three different excuses, but they all dry up in his mouth.

"Spit it out, boy."

Peter's lip wobbles as he says, "I'm sorry, your Excellency."

"Sorry?" he booms. "Sorry?! Oh, I'll make you sorry." His Excellency points across the room and asks, "Where did you get that?"

Peter follows his finger to the porcelain tea set sitting by his bed, and a spark of hope lights in his heart. "His Majesty gave it to me for Christmas, your Excellency."

"Did he now? A little toy for his pet?"

Peter keeps staring at the tea set. Maybe if he thinks about King Anthony enough, he'll come save him.

"You probably stole it, didn't you? Little rat."

Peter watches helplessly as his Excellency crosses the room in three quick strides. He grabs the bulk of the tea set and throws it to the ground in the corner by the chain. The porcelain seems to shatter in slow motion.

A sob makes its way past Peter's lowered defenses as he's dragged by his hair to the chain on the wall. His Excellency attaches one end to Peter's collar and the other low on the wall, forcing Peter to kneel in the wreckage of King Anthony's beautiful gift. He doesn't know what hurts more: the searing, unending pain cutting through his shins or the loss of his one worldly possession.

"Maybe this will motivate you to move faster. You don't get to leave until I can see my face in these shoes. And if I see one drop of blood on any of them, you'll be cleaning them all again with your hands tied behind your back and the brush in your mouth."

Peter finally lets a tear drop when the door slams shut. He tries shifting his weight to lessen the pain of the shards slicing into his leg, but it somehow makes it worse. After a couple deep breaths, Peter throws himself back into his work double time. He only makes it through three pairs before breaking down completely.


	4. The Gardens

Tony groans as another plate of cake is placed in front of him. "Pepper, please. No more."

"That's the last one, your Majesty," she says with a smirk.

He halfheartedly glares at her, picking up his fork. "Quit calling me that. What flavor is this?"

"Raspberry vanilla."

"It's already a no. Cake without chocolate is not cake. I've told you this before."

"His Excellency requested that you at least try it. Raspberry vanilla is apparently his favorite."

"Ugh, I should fire him."

"Stop acting like a child, Tony."

He takes a tiny bite then pushes the plate away. "I tried it. I still like third one."

The cook bows and takes the plate. "Yes, your Majesty. I'll have it delivered tomorrow morning." He leaves once he's said his peace.

Pepper rolls her eyes as Tony drops his head back and holds his stomach. "I'm so full, Pep. I'm not even gonna be able to eat at my own party."

"Our party," she corrects, making her way over to his chair. She runs a hand over his shoulders and leans down to press a kiss to his forehead.

Tony reaches up and tenderly strokes her cheek. "God, you're beautiful," he murmurs, trailing his hand down her back.

Pepper pulls away as he leans forward. "Not here, Tony."

"Oh, please. Everyone knows about us by now."

"Well, we still shouldn't. You're betrothed to someone else, remember?"

"I know, I know. It's just so hard." Tony pauses and gives her a look with raised eyebrows. "Get it? Because my... is hard?"

Pepper just gives him an unimpressed look. She pulls away and grabs her papers. "See you tomorrow, Tony."

"Oh, come on! That was good."

She slams the door behind her, and Tony sighs. He stands and walks through the door on the opposite side of the kitchen. On the way to the forge, Tony thinks of little Peter working by himself. Peter's not like Tony was when he was 12. If his father had left him alone for a bit, Tony would be as unproductive as possible just to spite his father. Peter's the exact opposite. He's probably working harder now that Tony's gone, wanting to impress his boss. A fond warmth fills his heart as he thinks of the boy. He should have brought him a piece of cake.

The forge is strangely quiet as he walks up to the doors. If there's one thing Peter's not, it's quiet. Tony pokes his head into the room and finds it completely empty. It wouldn't be worrying if there wasn't a half finished sword on the worktable. Peter loves swords. He would have waited until the sword was finished before running off to eat or whatever. Something's very wrong.

Tony runs down the hall but stops when he reaches a crossroads. He had no idea where Peter's room was. Frustrated, he stops a servant walking by carrying linens. "Which way's Peter's room?"

She startles when she realizes who she's talking to. "Uh, uh, who's Peter, your Majesty?"

"The one child in this entire castle? About this high with messy brown hair?"

Recognition lights her eyes. "Oh, him! Uh, go down this hall then make a two rights, and his room is the really small one on the right."

Tony thanks her and quickly makes his way to the boy's room. If he's not there, he'll start a castle wide search for him. Tony's become strangely fond of the kid, and he'll be damned if something happens to him.

The sound of muffled sobs quickens his pace. Tony flings open the door, anger drumming in his skull at whatever caused the boy's distress. His first scan of the room reveals no Peter. It isn't until he realizes the miserable sounds are coming from the ground in front of him. He finds Peter chained low to the ground, kneeling is his own blood, holding a shoe and a brush. After recovering from his shock, Tony steps forward to unchain the kid, his shoes making a crunching noise. Tony pulls Peter to his feet and sits him on his bed. He surveys the scene of dozens of shoes surrounding the porcelain shards and puddle of blood as Peter continues to sob. Tony kneels down in front of him and pries the shoe and brush out of his grasp. "It's alright, buddy. I'm here now. You'll be okay."

Peter sobs again and slowly shifts his gaze to his bleeding shins. Tony moves to get Peter to meet his eyes, but he just drops his head to look at his lap.

"What happened, Peter? Who did this to you?"

The boy just shakes his head and gasps out another sob.

"Who's shoes are those?" Tony asks changing his plan of attack.

Peter sniffles a couple times and finally mumbles, "His Excellency, sir."

The anger is back in full blast. "Obie, huh? Was he the one that broke your tea set?"

Peter nods.

"Did he chain you to the wall, too?"

Peter nods.

Tony sighs and places what he hopes to be a comforting hand over the boy's clenched fist. "Okay, kiddo. Let's get you cleaned up, huh?"

Peter sniffles again and rubs his red eyes. He doesn't protest when Tony scoops him up bridal style and begins carrying him to his bedroom. On the way, he orders one of the maids to find Jarvis and send him to Tony's room. It's an emergency.

The poor kid is shaking when they arrive at the bedroom. Peter whimpers when he's placed on the couch. "Sorry, buddy. I know it hurts."

Tony stays by Peter's side until Jarvis arrives with a medical kit. He runs into the next room to grab a couple towels and a basin of water. Jarvis is quietly consoling the boy as Tony wets a towel. Jarvis methodically inspects every cut, pulling out tiny shards of porcelain. Once he finishes with one leg, Tony gently washes the blood off the boy. Peter winces every few seconds, but he doesn't make a sound otherwise. When both legs are cleaned and porcelain free, Jarvis wraps them in bandages. Once Jarvis tucks the last bandage in place, Peter whispers something inaudible. "What was that?" Tony asks.

"I'm sorry, sir."

A single tear drops from his eye. Tony reaches up to wipe it away. "You didn't do anything wrong, buddy."

"But I did, sir," Peter insists, voice wobbling precariously. "I d-didn't shine his Excellency's shoes f-fast enough, so he punished me. I was bad, sir."

"Peter-"

"And-And I didn't finish what you asked me to do. And n-now you and Jarvis have to clean me up. I'm so sorry, sir."

"You didn't-"

"You sh-should have left me there, sir. I-It's what I deserved."

"Peter, stop," Tony says forcefully. He feels awful when he watches the boy flinch, but he has to get him to listen. "You did not deserve that. No one does. And we didn't have to clean you up, we wanted to. So don't feel bad. You did nothing wrong."

Peter doesn't look like he believes him.

"Jarvis, arrange a meeting between Peter, Obie, and me. We'll meet him here in three hours."

"Yes, sir."

"In the mean time, the kid and I are going on a walk," Tony says, offering Peter a hand. "I've got something I want to show you."

The pair slowly make their way to the front of the castle. Happy, his carriage driver, is waiting for them out front. "Good afternoon, sir," he says, hopping down to open the door. "Where to?"

"The gardens, please." If Happy was surprised to see a kid glumly trailing behind the King, he doesn't show it. He even takes the kid under the arms and lifts him up into the cabin.

The trip isn't all to the gardens that out of the ordinary. Tony has gone once a week since his mother died. She put her blood, sweat, and tears into it. Visiting them is the least Tony could do to honor her memory. He looks down at Peter staring out the window in wonder as they pass the immaculate hedges and lavish flower beds. Tony could always feel his mother's presence in the gardens, comforting his worries and woes. But today he feels her presence focused on Peter. Tony can practically see her running a hand through Peter's hair and pulling him close to press kisses onto his forehead. The thought makes him smile and reach out to take the boy's hand. Peter looks up at him, desperately asking for forgiveness with his eyes. Tony softly squeezes his hand a couple times to let him know that there's nothing to forgive.

Peter finally smiles back.


	5. Confrontation

Peter's dead. He's bled out and gone to heaven. How else could he be riding with King Anthony in his carriage through the royal gardens after being heroically rescued like a damsel in distress? King Anthony doesn't let his hand go the rest of the ride. He doesn't even let go to step out of the carriage. The pair walk through the castle together. This is part of the castle Peter never gets to see. He usually moves around in the underbelly with the servants. The gorgeous decor and gleaming sunlight are new for Peter.

King Anthony gently pulls him back into his room and sets him on the couch. He only lets go of Peter's hand to run his hand over his shins. "How are your legs doing, kiddo?"

"Um, they're okay, sir."

"Just okay? I was hoping for better than okay."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Peter, it's not your fault, remember?"

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

King Anthony sighs and pats Peter's knee. Both their heads snap to the door when Jarvis clears his throat. "His Excellency has arrived, sir."

"Thanks Jarvis. Send him in."

Peter's heart shoots up into his throat as his Excellency's scowl finds his terrified face. Panic pools in his stomach as his Excellency's lip curls into a snarl, and he jabs his finger in Peter's direction. "What's the rat doing up here?" he growls.

"Peter is not a rat," King Anthony says, standing from his crouch. "And I brought him up here. You know where I found him? I found him bleeding on the floor of his tiny room, kneeling in the remains of my Christmas gift. He was crying, Obie. He was crying because you chained him to a wall!"

"He was being disobedient."

"Then tell him what he did wrong, and give him time to fix it!"

"I told him to shine my shoes, and he didn't. What more could I have told him?"

"Why was he shining your shoes in the first place? He was already working on something for me."

"We're short staffed, if you haven't noticed."

"I understand that, but he's my assistant. He shouldn't be shining your shoes."

"He's your assistant, but he's my property."

King Anthony frowns, glancing at Peter momentarily. "What?"

Peter squeezes his eyes shut. Here it comes. King Anthony's going to find out what he is and be disgusted with him. He's going to want nothing to do with him after this. Oh god, Peter's going to be sick.

"You didn't know?" his Excellency asks. "Peter's a slave. I bought him. I own him. I just lend him to you."

King Anthony looks shocked, eyes darting between Peter and his Excellency.

"Why do you think he wears a collar? He's got the same rights as a dog. If I tell him to shine my shoes, he shines my shoes or suffers the consequences."

His Majesty remains silent, but his jaw is clenched. He's mad. He's mad at Peter because he's a slave. This is Peter's worst nightmare. He feels like bursting into tears.

King Anthony shifts his weight in the heavy silence. Peter's almost passed out by the time he takes a breath to say something. "How much did you pay for him?" he asks quietly, looking his Excellency dead in the eye.

The Royal Advisor shrugs and says, "50 gold pieces. Why?"

"Jarvis, please have 200 gold pieces delivered to his Excellency's room."

"What? Why?" he asks as Jarvis moves to exit the room.

"I'm buying Peter from you."

His Excellency rolls his eyes as Peter's little heart soars. "Oh please, there's no need for that. He'll still work for you."

"But I want him. And you know how spoiled I am. I have to have him."

"Tony, don't-"

"300 gold pieces."

"Tony, he's not worth-"

"He's worth every penny."

Peter sniffles, the sentiment drawing tears. The two men look down at him, and he ducks his head.

His Excellency finally sighs and throws his hands up. "Fine. Take him. He's too much trouble anyway."

King Anthony smiles triumphantly. He holds his hand out to a sniveling Peter. "Come on, kid. We're heading back down to the forge."

"Y-Yes, sir," he manages to gasp out.

The pair make their way to the forge in silence, Peter's hiccuping breath cutting through the quiet. King Anthony has Peter sit on the stool by the fire. Peter's euphoria turns to hesitant fear as King Anthony thrusts something metal into the fire. It's not uncommon for owners to brand their slaves. That way a slave's owner could easily be identified if the slave ran away. A single tear streaks down Peter's face as King Anthony lifts the red-hot tool out of the fire. He takes a deep breath as his new owner walks closer. Peter tells himself to accept his fate. This was going to happen eventually. It might as well happen with an owner he adores.

Peter squeezes his eyes shut as King Anthony pulls his shirt collar down, exposing the top of his chest. He feels the heat of the tool as it gets closer to his neck. Peter's eyes fly open in shock when he feels something attach to his metal collar. He watches as King Anthony uses hot tongs and a ton of brute strength to cut through the metal. King Anthony returns to the fire to reheat the tongs then cuts through the other side. They both watch as the collar's halves clatter to the floor.

King Anthony gives him a huge smile, but Peter still doesn't understand. It must show in his face, because King Anthony says, "You're free, buddy."

Free? He's... free? "What?" Peter breathes, reaching up to feel around his throat.

"You're free. No more owners, no more cruel punishments, no more collars. You're free."

"I'm... free?"

King Anthony nods.

Peter huffs a laugh, a smile slowly stretching across his face. "I'm free."

King Anthony nods again, his smile growing impossibly larger.

Peter tears up for what feels like the millionth time that day. "I'm free."

King Anthony rubs a hand up and down Peter's arm. "Yeah, kiddo. You're free."

Shaking his head, Peter says, "It's... It's too much. I-I don't know how to thank you, sir."

"Well, you can start by calling me Mr. Stark," King Anthony says, resting his hand on Peter's shoulder. "That's what apprentices call their mentors, right?"

The only response Peter can conjure up is a swoon. It's a good thing King Anthony had a hand on his shoulder.


	6. A Force to Be Reckoned With

After his dizzy spell, Peter finds himself being drug back up the stairs to King Anthony's room. There was a flurry of activity surrounding the two. Jarvis rounded up a couple servants to receive King Anthony's demands. "Peter's going to need a proper room. He'll take the one next to mine," King Anthony says, pacing the room.

"But... that's the blue sitting room, your Majesty. It's been that way since-"

"I don't care. We have five others. That's Peter's room now. I want it set up by the end of the week."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"He's also going to need a new wardrobe. We'll have him measured after his bath."

The two remaining servants exchange a look. "...Where should we bathe him, your Majesty?"

"My tub should suffice."

"...But that's highly unorthodox-"

"When have I been anything but?"

So that's how Peter finds himself submerged in lovely smelling, soapy water in the largest tub he's ever seen. He was too self conscious to have anyone but Jarvis help scrub his body. Even then, he had Jarvis turn around when he undressed. Ever since Mr. Wescott, Peter's been cautious about who he lets see him naked. But, then again, he hadn't been given a choice with Mr. Wescott.

Once Peter was clean and smelling like roses, King Anthony has him sit in front of a mirror as a royal groomer trims his hair. "Much better. You look very hansom," King Anthony says, nodding his approval.

Next, Peter's taken back to King Anthony's carriage. Ever the professional, Happy helps Peter into the cabin without comment. He drives the pair to one of the most expensive clothing stores in the land. His Majesty quickly assures him that the crown is footing the bill and tells him not to worry about the price tag. King Anthony has the tailors measure him head to toe. They ask for his opinion on the color of the clothes, and Peter just shrugs. It's never been an option for him before. King Anthony sees he's uncomfortable and makes the decision for him. Peter's happy with the King's decision for light colors only. He's had enough darkness for a lifetime.

"Now, onto his New Year's outfit," King Anthony says, gesturing Peter forward.

Peter moves to stand next to the King. "My what, sir?"

"Your outfit for the party. And what did I say about 'sir'?"

"Sorry, uh, Mr. Stark. But, um, why do I need a party outfit?" Peter almost bites his tongue to stop himself from saying 'sir'.

"It's a formal event, so you'll need something other than a shirt and pants."

Peter doesn't know how to formulate the question he wants to ask.

But King Anthony understands. "You're coming to the New Year's Eve party, kid," he says with an amused smile.

Excitement grabs his heart for a half second before the anxiety floods in. Peter has no idea how to behave at a party, let alone a royal party.

Again, King Anthony understands. "I'll keep you close so you don't get lost or something. Don't worry about it. I'll be the most embarrassing person there, so all eyes will be on me."

Peter smiles and allows King Anthony to steer him to the formal wear section. His Majesty doesn't allow Peter to not have an opinion this time. He forces Peter to choose at least the color. "If you don't love what you wear, you won't look good," King Anthony says, watching Peter try on a couple options.

Peter's exhausted at the end of the day. After changing Peter's bandages, King Anthony tells him to sleep. Jarvis had prepped the couch in King Anthony's room for him to sleep on. He changes into his new pyjamas then crawls under the covers. Once King Anthony, settles on his bed, Peter quietly says, "Thank you for everything, Mr. Stark, sir."

King Anthony rolls over to face the couch. "It's nothing, Peter. No one should be considered property, especially not you."

"Still... this has been the best day of my life."

"Good. You deserve everything, kid."

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Peter's legs are jelly as Jarvis walks him to the ballroom. King Anthony told him that he'd join the party about half an hour after it started. "What's a king without a grand entrance?"

Jarvis taps his arm to get his attention. "Here's someone Anthony would want you to meet."

A dark skinned man with an embroidered royal crest on his chest turns at the sound of Jarvis's voice. He gives him a radiant smile before glancing down at the boy by the butler's side. "Hello, Jarvis. And you're... Peter, right?" he asks.

"Uh, yes, sir."

"This is Sir James Rhodes," Jarvis says. "He's Anthony's head knight and closest friend."

"You can just call me Rhodey," he says, holding out a hand for Peter to shake.

"Um, okay, Rhodey."

His eyes are alight with amusement when he says, "Tony wasn't kidding when he said you were tiny. A light breeze could knock you over. I'll tell him to bring you by some time to train."

Peter's jaw drops and excitedly says, "Y-Yes, sir! That'd be so cool, sir!"

Rhodey chuckles and leads Peter across the room. "I can see why Tony likes you so much. Come on, Pepper's gonna wanna meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, I have watched the Princess Diaries recently. How could you tell?


	7. The Party

Pepper surveys her domain from the refreshment table, looking fabulous in her new blue gown. The doors only opened 15 minutes ago, but she's already spotted a couple potential rowdy guests.

"My darling, Pepper. Love of my life, apple of my eye." Pepper turns to see Rhodey approaching with a little boy in tow.

"Rhodes, long time, no see," she says, opening her arms for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How was the weapons test?"

"It went off without a hitch, as always. Tony's consistent, you know how it is." Rhodey takes the kid's shoulders and puts the boy in front of him. "Can you guess who this is?"

Pepper sucks in a breath and smiles at the wide eyed expression on the boy's face. "You must be Peter."

He ducks his head and bashfully nods.

"I'm Lady Virginia, but you can just call me Pepper. Everyone does."

"Yes, Ms. Pepper."

"You are just the sweetest thing. Tony told me you were cute, but you are down right adorable."

Peter blushes. "Thank you, miss."

"The party looks amazing," Rhodey says, taking the attention off the young boy.

"Oh, you know, I try my best," Pepper laughs. "You Know Who's going to be here, and Tony wants to make a good impression."

"Tony or Stane?"

Pepper rolls her eyes. "Who do you think?"

The trio glance over at the doors as the crowd makes a fuss. "Well, I'll be damned," Rhodey murmurs. "He's actually on time for once."

"Announcing his Majesty King Anthony Stark the First, son of King Howard Stark." They watched as Tony dazzled the crowd, waving and shaking hands. As he smiled, he skimmed faces. His eyes lit up when they landed on the three. Pepper and Rhodey waved while Peter gave a nervous smile. Tony starts to push his way through the crowd but is stopped in his tracks.

"Announcing her Majesty Queen Indries Moomji the First of the island nation Ishtar." A dark haired and pale skinned woman makes her way into the ballroom, looking as though she were gliding. She holds her dainty hand out for Tony to take. He presses a kiss to her hand.

Peter tilts his head in confusion. "Who's that?" he asks under his breath.

"That's the future queen of the land," Rhodey says, startling the boy. Peter probably hadn't meant to say his question aloud. "Their marriage was set up when Tones was still a baby. It'll strengthen our nations' alliance, apparently."

The kid looks like he has something to say but is too afraid to voice it. "What is it, Peter?" Pepper prompts.

"Oh, uh, well, i-it's just that M-Mr. Stark's n-never mentioned her before, miss."

"That's because he's got the hots for Pepper," Rhodey states rather bluntly, nudging her shoulder.

Pepper swats his arm away. "Shut up."

"You know it's true. Has Tony ever mentioned Pepper, Pete?"

"Um... yes. A lot, sir," Peter says, swallowing nervously.

"See? The kid knows what's up."

"Oh, they're coming over here," Pepper whispers.

Tony and Queen Indries walk over, arms linked. Pepper's heart begins its familiar track down to her stomach when she clocks the look on Tony's face. He looks like a dopey love sick puppy. This happens every time the Queen visits. He only ever seems into her when she's in close proximity. It's like she has some kind of hypnotic effect on him. Pepper hates the Queen with a burning passion.

The two come to a stop in front of the odd trio. Tony barely even spares them a glance. "Darling, these are some of my friends. Friends, this is the beautiful and intoxicating Queen Indries."

Out of the corner of her eye, Pepper watches Peter scrunch his nose. Whether in confusion or disgust, the world may never know.

Pepper clears her throat and curtsies. "Lady Virginia Potts, your Majesty."

She watches Rhodey subtly nudge Peter, startling him into action. "Oh, um, um, P-Peter, your M-Majesty."

And then Peter curtsies.

Curtsies.

The four adults freeze. Even Tony's trance is broken. Peter must have just followed Pepper's lead.

Rhodey continues before Peter realizes he did anything wrong. "Sir James Rhodes, your Majesty." And then Rhodey curtsies. Tony smiles at his friend, thanking him for sparing Peter the embarrassment. Pepper will be sure to hire an etiquette coach for the boy when the party's done.

Queen Indries looks between the three of them with suspicion. She focuses in on the weakest link: Peter. "Who are you?"

Peter's complexion quickly pales as Queen Indries' dark eyes capture his warm brown ones. "Uh, um, I-I'm, um-"

"Peter's my apprentice," Tony butts in. "He's been working with me for about half a year now."

"I see," she says, looking the poor boy up and down. "Let's go find our seats."

The Queen sends them one more distrustful look before pulling Tony away. Peter breathes a sigh of relief when her eyes leave his. "She's like a witch," Rhodey sighs, no doubt also noticing Tony's instant attraction.

Peter's hoarse voice floats up between them. "I did something wrong, didn't I?"

"No, darling," Pepper quickly says, stooping down to gently lift his chin. "You did well, don't worry."

"I should just go," he sniffles. The boy's shaking like a leaf, on the verge of breaking down. "I-I'm embarrassing M-Mr. Stark in front of his date. I'm r-ruining everything."

"Peter, Tony wants you here," she says emphatically. "Just stick with us. You'll be okay, darling."

"If anything, Tony's the embarrassing one," Rhodey says.

The kid shakily laughs, rubbing his nose. "Heh, yeah."

"He'll do something really dumb by the end of the night."

Peter laughs harder when Pepper smacks Rhodey over the head. Boys...


	8. Day in the Life

"The apple falls off the table."

"Good." Ms. Karen flips up the next card for Peter to read.

"My dog jumped over the rock."

"Good." Next card.

"I do not like the purple pe... pet..."

"Sound it out, Peter. Use phonetics."

"Pe-tu-ni-a."

"Good, now all together."

"Petunia."

"Very good. And I think we can end a little early today. Go ahead and pack up your books."

Peter beams and excitedly says, "Thank you, Ms. Karen! Mr. Stark said we're having Italian for dinner tonight!"

"That's cool. Have fun, darling."

After putting all his books on the shelf and all his papers back in the desk, Peter races down the stairs and through the hallway. He slows down past his Excellency's room. The Royal Advisor had yelled at him for running a couple months ago. Mr. Stark says he doesn't have to be afraid of his Excellency anymore. All Peter has to do is yell for Mr. Stark, and he'll come to the rescue. But Peter is still wary of getting on his Excellency's bad side. Mr. Stark says they'll work on it.

Peter slides into the kitchen and darts around all the workers. "Hey, Darla. Hi, Christie. Hey, Dylan."

A chorus of "Hello, Peter"s follow him into the informal dining room. Peter takes his usual seat at the table across from Pepper. She's already sitting, reading through the papers strewn out in front of her. "Good afternoon, Ms. Pepper," he says, bracing his hands on the table to get a better look at her work. "What're you doing?"

"I'm reading through Tony's personal expense reports."

"Why?"

"Well, someone has to keep an eye on his spending. Tony's cash flow comes directly from the people's taxes. If he spends too much on himself and not enough on public works, it's not fair to the people."

"Oh. So Mr. Stark doesn't have unlimited money?"

"No, darling," Pepper laughs.

The doors open to reveal a disheveled looking Mr. Stark. None the less, he smiles and asks, "Hey, Pete. How was class?"

"It was great! Ms. Karen says I did super good today!" Peter happily announces. He has class with his governess three times a week. He only gets to work in Mr. Stark's lab for half the day on class days, but Peter loves to learn so it's not too bad. Plus, Mr. Stark always looked happy when Peter did well in class. Almost like he was proud.

"Atta boy," Mr. Stark says, ruffling Peter's hair as he takes his place at the head of the table. Usually Rhodey eats with them too, but he was away on a super secret mission at the moment. "What'd Ms. Karen subject you to today?"

"Reading."

"Ew."

"Yeah, but Ms. Pepper says that the more I read, the better I'll get. That means I could read anything I wanted to! I could even read those smart people journals just like you, Mr. Stark."

The skin around Mr. Stark's eyes crinkles as he smiles. "That's right, buddy. Just like me."

Dinner was incredibly delicious as usual. Sometimes Peter misses his dinners with Jarvis, but he was quick to assure Peter that he didn't feel abandoned in the least.

"Gosh, it's gorgeous out," Mr. Stark says once they've had their fill. "Who's up for a walk?"

Peter's hand shoots up, but Pepper regretfully shakes her head. "Sorry, I've got work. But you two have fun, okay?"

"Yes, Ms. Pepper."

Mr. Stark leads the way as Peter gives him a play by play of his lessons. It isn't until they stop at the stables that Peter realizes where they are. "You ever gone riding, kid?"

"Uh, no."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Come on, I've got someone I want you to meet."

All the stable hands looked shocked to see his Majesty striding through the stalls with his fabled apprentice hot on his heels. News of Peter's apprenticeship spread through the castle like wildfire. Not many have gotten a glimpse of him, but those who have have tried to approach him with offers of friendship. Peter was confused as none of them had even looked him in the eye when he was just a slave. Jarvis told Peter to ignore them and that they weren't worth his time. So Peter ignores the gawking stares of the stable hands. He's not overly fond of the spotlight anyway.

"Here we are." Mr. Stark slows to a stop in front of a stall containing an old, dark gray horse.

"Who's this?" Peter asks as Mr. Stark lifts him under the arms to sit on the stall door.

"This is Dummy." The horse snorts and steps forward at Tony's familiar voice. "He was my first horse, so he's a very good friend of mine. You can pet him, he won't bite."

Peter timidly reaches out, and Dummy thrusts his soft nose under his hand. He giggles when Dummy shakes his head, tossing his mane around.

"He's silly, right?"

"Yeah," Peter laughs, leaning forward to pet the horse between the ears.

"You'll ride him, and I'll take Butterfingers."

"Is it... hard to ride a horse?"

"Not at all. The horses know what they're doing. And there's nothing you can't handle, kiddo."

Peter looks over his shoulder and gives Mr. Stark a brilliant smile. It's been about six months since Mr. Stark freed him from his collar. The man's taken it upon himself to personally look after Peter. He's happiest with Mr. Stark.

After their ride, Mr. Stark sends Peter off to bed. He climbs into his new bed in his new room in his new pyjamas. His eyes catch on the remaining tea cup from Mr. Stark's Christmas gift all those months ago. It sits on his red bookshelf at eye level. Peter smiles and closes his eyes after another perfect day.


	9. Operation Breakup

Every month, Queen Indries comes to visit. And every month, Mr. Stark falls in love again. Peter hates those weekends. Mr. Stark never has time for him. It's all about her Majesty.

Peter only really gets to see Mr. Stark at dinner, and even then Mr. Stark barely even looks at him. Queen Indries even takes his seat so she's sitting right next to him. And she makes every dinner into a formal event. Pepper always has to order more formal wear for Peter when her Majesty is around. He's growing so fast.

It's been a couple weeks since the last visit, so Peter knows another one is coming up. Time for Operation Breakup.

When she arrives in her ridiculously extravagant carriage, Peter slips some vile smelling liquid from Mr. Stark's medicine cabinet into one of her bags. The next day, she's wearing her now normal smelling clothes like nothing happened. Turns out, she had Jarvis do her washing late into the night. Peter feels bad for inadvertently making Jarvis do more work, so he scraps any plans that have to do with making a mess.

Mr. Stark takes the Queen out for a romantic horseback ride on Dummy and Butterfingers. It's obvious Dummy doesn't like Queen Indries. He keeps tossing his head and flicking his ears in agitation. Peter hides in some bushes along the trail and uses a loose branch from the tree above him to scare the horses. Dummy startles but doesn't rear up. Unfortunately, Butterfingers does, and Mr. Stark goes flying. Peter winces when his mentor's breath is knocked out of him. Luckily, they were close to the barn, so a couple of stable hands come running to assist. Peter slinks off before anyone can find him.

That night, Peter lays awake, trying to determine his next course of action. He doesn't want to inconvenience the staff, and he definitely doesn't want to accidentally kill Mr. Stark. His eyes widen in the dark when his brilliant plan fully forms. It's perfect. He'll execute it during dinner tomorrow. Peter feels the slightest bit bad for messing with Mr. Stark's affairs, but he reminds himself that he's doing this for his mentor's well being. Mr. Stark doesn't belong with that witch.

Peter doesn't get to see Mr. Stark all day, further fueling his drive to complete Operation Breakup. He thanks Jarvis for helping him with his clothes then makes his way to the formal dining room. Peter, Pepper, and Rhodey stand behind their chairs and wait for the two royals to take their seats, as is custom for formal dinners. It starts like normal, the servers bringing out the soups then appetizers. When the servers come to take their plates away before the main course, Peter makes to strike.

At formal dinners, only the royals can start conversations. Speak when spoken to, basically. Peter rarely ever gets to talk at dinner when Queen Indries visits. She steals conversation with Mr. Stark from him and ignores his presence. But tonight, Peter sucks in a breath and says, "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good."

Mr. Stark looks over at him for the first time since they sat down. He's just blinking away the Queen's trance when the witch herself speaks up. "Did anyone ask you to speak, boy?"

"N-No, your Majesty. But I'm really not-"

"If no one asked you to speak, you shouldn't speak."

Mr. Stark looks at Queen Indries a little chafed. "He's not feeling well. How is he supposed to let me know if I don't ask?"

"He could do the polite thing and get up from the table."

"Maybe he needs my help."

"It's beneath your place to tend for the boy. I'm sure the help can take care of him."

Mr. Stark looks torn. His eyes shift between the Queen's sharp gaze and Peter's pout. When his eyes linger on her Majesty's, Peter pulls out the big guns.

Peter's noticed that Mr. Stark tends to get super protective and worried when his apprentice gets hurt. It doubles when he cries. So Peter begins to sniffle at the dinner table. He folds his arms over his stomach and whines, "Mr. Stark, please. It hurts."

His mentor's eyes widen and meet his faux watery ones. Then Peter's head snaps to the side with a stinging cheek as the crack of the slap echoes around the room. "You stupid, insolent child," Queen Indries hisses as Peter cringes away from her.

Both Mr. Stark's and Rhodey's chairs squeak as they quickly stand. "Get up," Mr. Stark growls, staring down Queen Indries.

She glares back at him. "You can't speak to me like that."

"Oh, excuse me. I believe you've over stayed your welcome, your Majesty," he says, putting as much venom in his tone as possible.

"What?"

"You hit my kid. Now get out."

"He was out of line."

"I don't care. Get. Out." Rhodey backs up Mr. Stark by putting a threatening hand on his sword.

"If you make me leave, I'm never coming back."

"I should hope so, because we won't let you in."

Queen Indries stands with grace, attempting to keep her dignity intact. "Fine. It's your loss. If you want to throw away our alliance for some filthy little boy, so be it."

Rhodey steps forward to place a supportive hand on Peter's back as her Majesty turns around at the door to say, "His Excellency won't be happy about this."

"Good."

She scoffs and storms out of the dinning hall. The three adults swarm Peter's chair, all asking if he was okay, if he needed water, if he wanted to lay down. When they finally pause to get an answer, Peter says, "I just want Mr. Stark."

They exchange looks, then Rhodey and Pepper step back and follow Queen Indries out. Peter feels bad about pushing them away, but he really just wants to talk to Mr. Stark.

His mentor crouches down when the two leave them and runs a hand through Peter's hair. "You okay, buddy?"

Peter nods. "I've had worse. I don't think she even left a bruise."

"That's good. What about your stomach?"

"Oh, I, uh... Promise you won't get mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Just promise? Please?"

"Okay, I promise," Mr. Stark says with a suspicious look.

"I'm, uh... I'm not sick."

"...Okay. Then why did you say so earlier?"

"Because I was trying to annoy Queen Indries."

"...What? Why?"

"See, this is the part where you don't get mad."

"Peter..."

"Okay, okay. I... I wanted you to break up with Queen Indries, so I spoke out of turn to get her mad, which would hopefully get you mad, but then she slapped me, which is better than I could have ever imagined because that pretty much sealed the deal, then you kicked her out, and now we're here."

Mr. Stark stares at Peter for a few seconds, trying to catch up. "So... you acted sick... to get me to break up with her?"

"Yeah... Sorry..." he says after a few seconds of silence.

Then Mr. Stark suddenly smiles. "You're a genius, kid."

"I-I am? But I messed with the alliance, and his Excellency won't be happy, and-"

"And I never wanted to be with her in the first place. You did me a huge favor, Pete. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Stark. I did it for you. I know you like Ms. Pepper."

Mr. Stark smiles ruefully and tousles Peter's hair. "You little rascal."


	10. Jericho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I may have given some of you traumatic flashbacks with the last chapter, so here's more trauma. Sorry!

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Why do you make weapons?"

Mr. Stark pauses and looks up from his schematics. "Because they're necessary for the protection of the people. It's a brutal world out there. These weapons will keep everyone within our walls safe."

Peter thinks for a second, trying to come up with a way to ask his next question. "What if... we didn't make weapons."

His mentor frowns. "We'd be slaughtered the next time we're at war. We have to keep pushing our weapon technology forward, or we'll be left in the dust."

"But... what if there wasn't another war?"

"Peter-"

"No, really. What if instead of killing other people, they talked. So instead of focusing so much research on weapons, we could focus on things that make people's lives easier."

Mr. Stark just stares at him with a sad face. "I would love that, Pete. But the world doesn't work that way."

"Well, why don't we be the first to change?"

"Because... Because the rest of the world will roll right over us."

Peter drops his hopeful gaze and looks at his feet.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy. I'm just trying to be realistic."

Peter waves off Mr. Stark and retakes his seat. It was a nice thought, but his mentor was right. The world is just a violent place. What's the use in trying to change it?

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

"Tony?"

Peter stiffens as Mr. Stark places his tools on the table to answer his Excellency's inquiry. He doesn't visit Mr. Stark's forge often, but he's never happy when he drops by.

"What now, Obie?" Mr. Stark asks impatiently.

"Are you done with the Jericho yet?"

"I would be if you'd stop asking every five minutes."

"Tony, the Arab buyers have been waiting for two months now."

"Then they can wait another month. It's not ready yet."

"Then fake it. You and Rhodes are leaving next week whether it's ready or not. We need their support. Need I remind you about your blunder with Queen Indries?"

Mr. Stark sighs and puts an arm over Peter's shoulders. "No, so back off. Peter and I have a lot of work to do."

His Excellency gives Peter a hard look then turns away. "Fine. Just get it done."

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

"Alright, pipsqueak. I'll only be gone for three weeks. Pepper and Jarvis will keep an eye on you here, so you won't be alone."

Peter nods and hands Mr. Stark his bag. "I know. And Mr. Rhodey'll be with you, so you won't be alone either."

Mr. Stark laughs and ruffles Peter's hair. "If you say so, kiddo. Don't have too much fun without me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Tones, come on! We're losing daylight!" Rhodey calls from inside the cabin.

"Alright, alright, I'm moving! See ya, Pete."

Peter stands on the front steps, waving until their carriage is out of sight. He thinks Mr. Stark does the same, but the carriage is too far to know for sure.

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Nobody suspects anything's wrong until the letter comes. The day it comes is like any other. Peter and Pepper are having breakfast together before Jarvis comes to collect him for the day. His peace is cut short when his Excellency busts through doors and asks Pepper to follow him. "Can it wait ten minutes? I'm having a nice breakfast with Peter."

"Pepper, it's an emergency."

Pepper sucks in a breath and pushes away from the table. "Sorry, Peter. Looks like work's calling. I'll send Jarvis. Are you going to be okay alone for a few minutes?"

"Yes, Ms. Pepper."

"Okay, darling. I'll check in with you at the end of the day."

This is definitely out of the ordinary, but nothing's happened to throw him off yet. It isn't until lunch with Jarvis when Pepper walks in looking shocked that Peter knows something's wrong.

"Peter," she starts softly, taking the seat next to him. She puts a gentle hand on his arm, taking her time with her words.

In his gut, Peter knows but doesn't want to say.

"Rhodey sent a letter a few days ago and had it expressed here. Tony... his carriage was jumped and... they can't find his body. He's... missing in action. Rhodey says they're looking and won't stop until they find him." She pauses and observes Peter's face. "You okay?"

"No," he chokes out, panic gripping his chest. "No, I'm not okay. I want Mr. Stark."

"I know, darling. It'll be okay. Tony's too stubborn to let anything happen to him."

Peter whimpers and clenches his hands into fists. Pepper doesn't say anything more. She knows nothing can make this better. She just takes him into her arms and holds him as he cries.


	11. The Inevitable

Peter spirals hard. He refuses to work in the forge a week after the letter arrived. About three weeks in, his appetite diminishes until he starts pushing his food away. That's when Pepper and Jarvis realize something's really wrong. After years of being denied proper food, Peter ate anything placed in front of him. Not eating was a sign of something serious.

"Peter, you have to eat something," Jarvis says pushing the plate back.

"You don't want to waste away before Tony gets back," Pepper says from across the table.

"I don't care," Peter grumbles. "I'm not hungry."

The two adults exchange looks.

Peter growls and shoves away from the table. "Quit doing that! I'm just not hungry!"

"Where are you going, darling?" Pepper yells after him.

"My room."

He runs down the hall, pushing past anyone who gets in his way. He can feel the tears coming, so he doesn't stop until his face is stuffed in his pillow. He sobs and sobs and sobs into the night. Jarvis checks in before he heads to bed, but Peter just turns so his back is facing the door.

Peter doesn't sleep well that night. Jarvis comes to wake him in the morning, but he refuses to get out of bed. The butler eventually gives up and says he'll be back with breakfast.

Feeling awful on many levels, Peter rolls so he's on his back. He stares at his blue ceiling. Blue. The color of the sky. The color of the sea. The color of freedom. He sniffles and feels the tears coming again. God, he hates this. He just wants Mr. Stark.

Peter startles when his door swings open without preamble. He freezes in place when his Excellency himself walks through his door. "Good morning," he says with a shark's smile.

He knows it's rude, but Peter doesn't say anything back. But for once, his Excellency doesn't seem to care.

"I've got some good news. Well, not for you, but good news all the same. Now that your precious Mr. Stark's gone, I'm ruling this kingdom. And because Tony's named me the sole heir to all his property, that makes me your owner again."

Peter's eyes widen. His mind is screaming at him to run but fear paralyzes him.

"Now, are you going to be a good boy and come here, or am I going to have to drag you over myself?"

Working on autopilot, Peter's body propels him forward. He comes to a shaky stop in front of his Excellency. The subserviency that Mr. Stark had been trying to wean out him is coming back full force.

"What makes you so special, huh?" his Excellency starts, pacing a slow circle around Peter. "Why would a king with everything want you? You're a nobody that a somebody took pity on. Now, it's time to stop living a lie. It was fun for a while, I'm sure, but it's time for you to find your rightful place."

The rest of the day is a blur. Peter knows he's being lead and shoved around, but he doesn't care. He just wants Mr. Stark. The world comes back into focus as he's being stuffed into the baggage compartment of a post wagon. He vaguely realizes he's been cuffed and collared. The two guards who manhandled him back away and are replaced by his Excellency. "Before you go, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret of mine." He leans in and gives Peter a truly evil smile. "Tony's dead."

Peter just blinks, biting down a scream. He's lying, he's lying, he's lying...

"That's right. I paid some friends to off him. So don't hold on the hope that Mr. Stark'll come rescue you on a white horse. You'll just drive yourself crazy."

And with that, he's gone. The door slams shut, and Peter's left in the darkness with his thoughts. Mr. Stark's dead? It can't be. He's King Anthony the Invincible. How could he be dead?

Peter's thoughts are still chasing each other when the post wagon comes to a stop. The door opens, and Peter squints in the harsh light. Rough hands yank him out and begin dragging him away. Peter doesn't put up a fight. What's the point?

It isn't until he's pushed to his knees that he takes stock of his surroundings. Peter finds himself in a dimly lit room filled with curious tools and trinkets. He doesn't get to look around much before a hand grasps his chin and forces his head straight. Peter locks eyes with a bespectacled man, older than Mr. Stark but not by much. The man inspects Peter closely before nodding once. "He'll do just fine."

Peter's eyebrows crease as he's hauled to his feet. The two guards drag him to a table on the edge of the room. They tell him lay on his stomach, so he does. From the way they've been handling him, he knows they won't tolerate insubordination. The guards chain his wrists and ankles to the edge of the table. Peter's eyes flick up as the man approaches the table with a red hot rod of metal. 

"Don't worry," he says with an unnerving smirk. "I'm not going to torture you. That's barbaric and unseemly for someone of my stature. This is all in the name of science, you see. It may be painful and frightening at times but take solace in the knowledge that you are heralding in the future."

The fear bubbling inside Peter reaches a fever pitch as one of the guards stuffs a swatch of cloth in his mouth. The other guard tears his shirt down the middle to expose Peter's back.

"I'm Lord Osborn," the man says, holding the hot end of the metal rod over his back. "Welcome to my lab, little spider."

The branding iron scalds his back. The pain is worse than anything he could imagine. Peter's screams aren't fully dampened by the gag, so they ring around the room. His hope is crushed when he realizes that not even his screams can escape this fate.


	12. Iron Man

Tony comes to suddenly. The first thing he notices is the pain in his chest, like something's stabbing him. The second is the cold. It's summer, and he can see his breath. The third is his thirst. Twisting his head to the side, he sees a cup of water sitting on the side table. The problem is his limbs don't seem to be responding to his commands. His arm thrusts out and pushes the cup around. He leverages enough energy to roll over, but something attached to his chest restricts his movement.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

His head snaps to a figure on the other side of the room. Breathing heavily, Tony looks down at his chest. It's covered in bandages with a wire trailing out from under it. Feeling a sudden need to see his wound, he tears at the cloth. Horror floods in as he sees a dark, metal circle embedded in his chest. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"What I did? What I did to save you life." The man walks toward him with a glass vial. "I removed all the shrapnel I could, but there's still a lot heading towards your heart. You want a souvenir?"

Tony raises his hands to catch the vial, and sure enough, it's filled with small metal shards. "What is this?" he whispers, gesturing to his chest.

"That is a magnet connected to a galvanic cell which increases the magnetic field."

"Galvanic cell...?"

"It's a bunch of chemistry, but what it does is essentially create electricity."

Tony rubs his head. He's in too much pain to think about chemistry right now. "Electricity? Like... lightning?"

"Precisely. But much less violent."

"How can you control it? Are you some kind of wizard?"

"To some, yes. But it's not magic. It's just science."

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Weeks later, Tony and Yinsen find themselves taking a break from their work. They play a game of backgammon to occupy their minds. "You still haven't told me where you're from," Tony says, watching his cavemate roll the dice.

"I'm from a small town called Gulmira."

"Got a family?"

"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here." Yinsen looks up and meets Tony's eyes. "What about you?"

What about him? Well, there's Obie, Rhodey, Pepper... and Peter. But they're not... related. Not in the way that counts. Not in the way that brings titles and more money than most can dream of. But they're still there. They stick with him even when he pushes them away. When he acts like a idiot. When he's... himself.

Tony swallows and says no. It's technically true, even if his newly modified heart says otherwise.

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Rhodes sits atop the roving carriage like he has for the past couple months. Many of his men have journeyed home, citing that their families were probably worried about them. Rhodes understands, but he wishes he didn't have to see them go. Now he was only down to two carriages. As time passes, his hope of finding Tony alive diminishes. But he vowed to bring him home dead or alive, so that is what he's going to do.

It's midday when he sees the light glinting strangely off the ground. Rhodes doesn't think twice about it. It's probably a mirage. But then it moves. Looking closer, he realizes it's person. With dried blood on his chest. And dark features. And intricate facial hair.

Holy shit.

"There! That's him, that's Tony!" he shouts at the driver.

The man startles and looks at Rhodes like he's crazy. "Are you sure, sir?"

"Positive. Only an idiot would wear a metal chest plate in this heat. So it must be him."

The horses are spurred into a faster pace. When they're almost upon him, Tony sinks to his knees and puts a hand in air. Before the carriage can come to a full stop, Rhodes jumps off the roof and hurries to his friend's side. He sees Tony smile, but there's no way he's not in pain.

Rhodes kneels in front of Tony and grabs him by the shoulders. "Next time, you're riding with me."

Tony just nods and falls into his arms.

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Pepper stands in the drive in front of the castle fighting back tears. She's so excited to finally see him after months of thinking he was dead. But she also has to be the bearer of bad news. God, Tony's going to be crushed.

The carriage stops in front of her, and she takes a deep breath to prep herself. The door opens, and Happy steps forward to offer a hand. Tony moves into the light. Pepper notes the wrapped chest and arm sling as Happy helps him down.

Tony catches her eyes, and they freeze. A moment passes, then Tony takes quick steps in her direction.

"Tony... I-I have something I need to-" Pepper says but is cut off by Tony's lips. She sinks into the kiss, feeling his good arm wrap around her back.

He pauses to take a breath and say, "God, I missed you."

Pepper feels her tension slipping away, so she quickly steps back. She has a job to do. "Tony, there's something you need to know."

Tony looks like he half heard her. He jerks his head around, looking for something. Or someone. "Where's the kid? Thought he'd be the first one I'd see. Or at least third..." He finally notices the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"...Tony. Peter's... missing."

He blinks rapidly as he computes. "He's... missing? How could he be missing? How do you lose a human being?!"

Pepper holds up her hands up placatingly. "I'm sorry, Tony. He just disappeared one day. Jarvis left to get him breakfast and returned to an empty room. None of the staff have seen him since."

Tony grinds his jaw. "When did this happen?"

"About a month after you went missing. He was distraught, either weepy or angry. We think... We think he might have run off. Either to look for you or-"

"Where have you looked so far?" he asks, cutting her off.

"Uh, well, the castle and the grounds."

Tony stares, unimpressed. "...And?"

"That's it."

His eyes narrow in fury. "You mean to tell me that Peter, my apprentice who wants nothing more from life than my approval, has been missing for months, and nobody thought to look beyond the castle walls?!"

Tony's in her face by the end, but she keeps her cool and ducks away. "His Excellency forbade us from spending resources on, quote, 'one trouble-making brat'."

He focuses his fiery anger on the doors behind her. "That's about to change now that I'm in charge again."

She smiles at his back as he storms his own castle. This is the king she fell in love with.

"Besides, I'm the only one who's allowed to call him a brat."


	13. Spider-Man

Peter's nauseous. And overwhelmed. And in pain, but that's a give in at this point. Laying on his side, he lazily watches the still lab through the bars of his cage. He hasn't left the underground room since he was brought in originally.

The day after he was branded, Lord Osborn strapped him down and had a spider bite him. In the coming days, Peter felt himself changing. At first there was nothing overtly different about him. Then over night, Peter was reborn into a stronger and more agile Peter.

Since that day, he has been poked, prodded, cut open, stitched back together, and much more. They've run so many experiments, like testing the effects of various chemicals on his skin, holding his head underwater until he passed out, and even making him do as many push-ups as he can in one sitting. Oh, and he can stick to walls now. Which is crazy.

He has no sense of time without the sun. Only the experiments and meager meals give Peter routine. And not a day goes by that he doesn't think about Mr. Stark. Peter doesn't know if he should keep praying for rescue or start mourning.

He groans and covers his face. Ever since Lord Osborn had that weird spider bite him, he's been so disoriented. He can see without the fuzziness he's been dealing with his whole life. He can smell like blood hound. He can hear the guards at the door and even people all the way down the corridor. When he's bored, Peter will tune in on their conversations. So far, he's learned that the guy with the scar on his forehead has two kids and a dog, the man with one eye's favorite food is cheese, and the really short guy's wife is cheating on him.

Swallowing down bile, Peter listens in once again. Anything to distract from the nausea.

"...and he says he's stopping weapon production!"

"What?!"

"I know! And his apprentice has gone missing, so he's started this massive search for the kid."

Peter's nausea is long forgotten as his heart soars. There's only one person they could be talking about. Mr. Stark's alive! And he's coming for Peter. But that also means Mr. Stark's in trouble. His Excellency's gonna kill him.

"I didn't even know he had an apprentice. Can you imagine getting to work with the king? Damn, what a lucky kid."

"King Anthony offered a reward for whoever finds him."

"What's he look like? Maybe my kids know him."

"He's 13 years old with pale skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. His name's Peter."

Peter wants to scream: It's me, I'm Peter! But he knows he'll just get beat again. He'll heal quickly thanks to his advanced healing, but it'll still hurt. Plus, why would they believe him? How could a slave boy be an apprentice to the king?

The time passes slowly, the minutes eating away at Peter's sanity. How could he just lay here when Mr. Stark was out looking for him? He's thought about escaping before, and he had no hope of it succeeding. But now... it has to. For Mr. Stark.

His genius plan only takes a few minutes to form. It's quite simple, really. He's just got to wait for the right moment. A couple hours later, the lock on the thick, heavy metal door clunks, and the hinges squeak as it swings open. "Good afternoon, my little spider," Lord Osborn says, giving Peter his trademark crazed smile. "We'll be doing more drug tests today. I know you don't like those, so I apologize in advance."

Peter tenses as much as he can in his cramped quarters. He lets the anger and fear fill his heart. Once the guard unlocks his cage, Peter busts out and uses his super-strength to push the burly man over. The other guard looks so surprised that he freezes. Peter springs forward and breaks the man's nose. When he bends over in pain, Peter smashes his head against the wall. Peter turns and snarls at Lord Osborn. The man backs up, reaching behind for something to defend himself with. "Alright, alright, no more drug tests," he says, desperately holding out a scalpel. "You don't need to do this, spider."

"Mr. Stark needs me. I have to do this."

"Okay, little spider, let's-"

"My name is Peter!"

He jumps straight up, sticks his fingers to the ceiling, and drops down to kick Lord Osborn in the face. The man falls against the table that brought Peter so much pain. "P-Please," Lord Osborn begs, cowering in Peter's shadow.

But Peter doesn't care. As much as he wants to hurt Lord Osborn, Mr. Stark needs his help. Peter sprints out the door and down the hall. He uses his super-senses to find his way out of the underground lair. He pushes past people, trying not to hyperventilate. His heart is trying to beat out of his chest. He finally reaches the level above ground. He feels the prickle of tears at the sight of the sunlight. A loud bang echos across the courtyard as Peter kicks the door down. He makes it to the main road past the estate gates. It's not hard to spot Stark Castle in the distance. It shines like a beacon of hope just beyond his reach.

So he runs. His body is screaming at him to stop, but he can't. Mr. Stark needs him.

Peter makes it all the way to the royal gates, but a couple of guards stop him. "Where do you think you're going, son?"

"I have to get to Mr. Stark! He's in trouble!"

"You'll refer to him at his Majesty, you little rat."

"No, you don't understand. I-I'm the missing apprentice!"

"Yeah, you and every other kid in the land."

"But sir-"

"Get lost, rat."

A tickle in the back of his mind has him dodging the guard's swing before he even registers it. Peter backs away and runs to the stone part of the wall. Ignoring the guards' threats, Peter adheres his hands to the wall and begins to climb. The guards' voices cut off in sudden shock as he scales the last obstacle before Mr. Stark. He drops down on the other side and continues his mad dash to Mr. Stark's side. He pushes through the front doors and heads towards the forge.

Peter comes to the conclusion that his collar must make him invisible. No one spares him a glance as he darts between people. He only stops when he crashes into a solid figure. He's about to mumble an apology when he notices the long red hair.

"Peter?!" Pepper gasps, clutching her chest. "What- Where have- Why-?"

"No time, Ms. Pepper. Mr. Stark's in trouble! His Excellency's gonna kill him!"

"What? B-But I just saw him. He sent me get some files from Obadiah's..." The realization dawns on her, then she snaps into action mode. "Tony's in trouble. I'm going to find Stane, you stay in the forge where you'll be safe."

"No, I have to come with you! I can help."

"Darling, I love you, but how can you help?"

"I, uh... It's a secret." Pepper may say she loved him (which, whoa, by the way), but if he told her he was a freak with powers... There'd be no way she'd want him around.

"Peter..." she sighs, shaking her head. "Tony'll kill me if you get so much as a scratch."

"It's too late for that, Ms. Pepper," Peter chuckles. He rolls up his sleeves to show the five methodical lacerations Lord Osborn had made the day before to test his advanced healing.

Pepper gasps and covers her mouth, horrified. "Oh Lord Jesus Almighty... Who did this?!"

"It doesn't matter right now. What matters is Mr. Stark. Come on!"


	14. Superheroes

Peter and Pepper freeze in the hallway when a tremor comes through the castle floors. The two look at each other and change their direction. "It's coming from the throne room," Peter says, pulling Pepper forward.

"How can you tell?"

"I just know. Trust me."

Pepper sighs. "We're going to have a long talk after this."

They find themselves in front of the heavy wooden doors, loud booms coming from behind it. Peter heaves a deep breath and shoulders through the barred doors. The two freeze in shock at the sight of two knights duking it out under the giant metal chandelier. And as if that wasn't strange enough, the armors seem to be whirring. He and Pepper scream when the larger knight's sword connects with the smaller figure, sending him across the room. That shouldn't be possible. The man on the floor groans as the larger man reaches up to pull his mask off. The anger in Peter's bones simmers over as his Excellency reveals himself as the larger knight. "Well, well, well," his Excellency says, giving Peter a dirty look. "Rats really can squeeze themselves anywhere."

The two back up as he starts clanking over to their side of the room. The smaller knight flicks his face plate up, and grunts, "Obie, leave them out of his."

Peter's eyes light up as they connect with Mr. Stark's. He's not too late. Peter darts around his Excellency's clunky armor. He dives into Mr. Stark's arms and gives him a huge hug. Mr. Stark's gloved hand runs through his hair. "Hey, buddy," he whispers close to Peter's ear. "You're okay. I've got you now. So you can relax. You're squeezing me too hard."

He realizes he's accidentally using his super strength. "Sorry, Mr. St-"

Peter gets cut off when Mr. Stark shoves him behind his body as his Excellency lunges for the pair. "For 30 years I've been holding you up!" he yells, grabbing Mr. Stark around the middle. And defying the impossible, his Excellency lifts Mr. Stark above his head. "I built this country from nothing! Nothing is going to stand in my way! Least of all you."

The tingling in the back of Peter's head gets painful as his Excellency swings Mr. Stark's body toward the ground. Peter slides under Mr. Stark's trajectory and catches him. He lays Mr. Stark on the ground softly as his Excellency snags him by the collar and flings him across the room. His body slams into the wall beside the royal thrones, his back taking the brunt of the force. His ears ring for a couple seconds before fading allowing Peter to hear Mr. Stark scream, "Pepper, just do it!"

"You'll die!" she yells from somewhere.

"Push it!"

Peter's attention quickly shifts when the mechanism holding the chandelier up makes an ominous clunking sound. The rattling chain echoes through the chamber as the chandelier makes its deadly descent. His Excellency looks up just in time to see the cause of his demise. He barely has time to shout as the chandelier crushes him, instantly silencing him. Unfortunately, Mr. Stark is trapped as well.

He hears Pepper screaming for Mr. Stark as Peter pushes himself up and runs to his mentor's side. He grasps the metal arms of the chandelier and lifts. Even with his super strength, Peter has trouble lifting it. He manages to hold it long enough for Mr. Stark to get clear. As soon as he's free, Peter drops the chandelier and hurries to Mr. Stark's side. "Are you okay? Anything broken? I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Peter's panicked rambling cuts off as Mr. Stark pulls him into a tight hug. "I'm fine, kid. Are you?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Peter feels Mr. Stark's breath on his scalp and relaxes even further. "I have so much to tell you."

"Me too," Peter says.

Mr. Stark pulls away a little to give Peter a bewildered look. "Yeah, you do. What happened to you? You disappear, giving Pepper and Jarvis collective heart attacks, and then show up at the final hour with super powers."

"It's... a long story. And... I could say the same about you. We were so worried."

"It takes a lot to kill me. I'm Anthony the Invincible, remember?"

"Yeah, but..."

Mr. Stark hugs him again. "I know, buddy. I know."

~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Peter, Pepper, and Jarvis stand at the back of the room as Mr. Stark stands in front of his court. He's blathering on as he's prone to do, but Peter's just happy to be back in the presence of people who care about him. Pepper keeps a comforting hand on his knee, and Jarvis brushes shoulders with him every once in a while.

He and Mr. Stark had spent the previous night talking about their experiences while they were separated. After his collar was cut off, Peter talked about how his Excellency had sold him to Lord Osborn who conducted horrible experiments on him due to his new enhanced status. Mr. Stark talked about his time in the cave with Yinsen and how they built his electric suit.

Peter's heart shattered when Mr. Stark showed him the magnet in his chest. Mr. Stark looked just as crushed when Peter took off his shirt. "That son of a bitch branded you?" he snarls, running a soft hand over the raised skin.

"Yeah, but it's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Mr. Stark just shakes his head. "But why the shape of a spider?"

"Maybe because... I was bit by a spider?"

"Probably. I think it looks cool, Pete. You could make it your brand or something. Like... the Spider-ling? Spider-kid?"

"Spider-Man?"

"Ha, yeah right. Like anyone would think you're a man, Itsy Bitsy."

Peter laughs and lightly shoves Mr. Stark's shoulder. "Oh yeah? What about you? The Tin Can? The Dark Knight?"

"I'm thinking... Iron Man."

Peter thinks for a second then nods. "Yeah, Iron Man. I like that."

Focusing back on the present, Mr. Stark's already covered his Excellency's disappearance and Lord Osborn's arrest. Peter startles out of his stupor when Mr. Stark begins the next part of his speech. "And now, I want to talk about the most important person in my life. As most of you probably know, my apprentice found his way back to me yesterday. Over the past year or so, we've built a strong mentor-mentee relationship. And um... I'd like to invite him up here for a minute. There's something I want to give you."

Pepper gives Peter a light push when he doesn't move at first. Peter slowly makes his way through the crowd to the front of the room. Mr. Stark smiles and pulls him in close to his side. "This is Peter," Mr. Stark says with a proud smile. "I'm taking him in and naming him heir to my throne. Because you can't spell 'apprentice' without 'prince'."

The crowd erupts in confusion as Peter's knees buckle. Peter? A prince? If he was prince, that means... Mr. Stark wants him to be his kid! This is the best day of his life.

Rhodey steps forward out of nowhere, holding a crown. Mr. Stark holds up a stern hand, silencing the crowd, before gesturing for Peter to kneel. He's quick to follow the order, heart drumming in excitement. Mr. Stark holds the crown over Peter's brown curls. "I, King Anthony Stark, declare Peter... Stark to be my heir, blah, blah, blah, and allakasam, you're a prince."

Peter feels the weight of the crown on his head. Huh. He'd thought it'd be heavier.

When Mr. Stark steps back to allow Peter room to stand up, Peter quickly stands and lunges forward to capture Mr. Stark in his arms. He hears an 'aww' ripple through the crowd as Mr. Stark hugs back. Peter knows this isn't proper etiquette, but he really doesn't care. He's sure Mr. Stark doesn't either. "Thank you, Mr. Stark," he whispers, sniffing back tears.

"It's Tony, now."

"...How about dad?"

Mr. Stark sucks in breath and squeezes him harder, lifting Peter so his feet leave the ground.


End file.
